"At first, I thought I’d be sad forever because of it. It really bothered me, even though this condition doesn’t hurt, but it can be tough on your mind. Other people staring or making fun also didn’t help my peace of mind," says Marek.
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that shows up as white patches on the skin due to pigment loss. It's not painful or contagious, but it significantly impacts the mental health of those who have it.
Since it can cover more than 80% of the body at times, the unusual look of the skin often draws public attention, curious questions, and unfortunately, unpleasant remarks or mockery. This is confirmed by Marek Blaho, who has been living with the condition for almost 10 years.
It Started with Gray Hair
“Vitiligo first appeared for me when I was 21. It started with gray hair. I thought a few gray hairs in youth were normal. But then patches began to appear on my body and face, forming 'maps' of gray hair. That's when I realized something was off,” says the 30-year-old man.
It's a very rare condition, affecting only about 1 to 2% of people. Initially, it shows as subtle light patches on the body, which might gradually increase until they cover most of the body. In some cases, as with Marek, it can also affect the hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes. “In the areas where I've lost skin pigment, the hair lost its pigment too - especially in the back,” he explains.
“The most common manifestation of vitiligo is sharply defined white patches, where there is a complete loss of pigment. The spots can gradually increase, and the condition is usually symmetrically distributed. It's most commonly found on the face—especially around the mouth and eyes—on hands and fingers, particularly around joints, elbows, knees, or in the genital area. Places frequently subjected to rubbing or skin irritation are also typical. Hair in affected areas might turn white, known as leukotrichia,” explains dermatologist Diana Pavličková.
Marek hadn’t known about the condition until then. In hindsight, he realizes that while he'd noticed people with it, he wasn’t sure what it was. “Before, I’d seen people with patches on them but didn't think about it much. I first heard the word vitiligo when I started dealing with it with a dermatologist,” Marek explains.
- How Marek coped with teasing and unpleasant looks.
- What the first signs of vitiligo were.
- Whether vitiligo can be completely cured.
- Effective treatment options according to doctors and the best outcomes for patients.
- Which treatments Marek tried and what helped him the most.
- Why many patients can’t afford treatment.
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Started Avoiding the World and Closing Up
Until then, Marek was an extroverted college student who enjoyed fun and company. The disease took away his confidence, and gradually he began avoiding the outside world and closing himself off.
“Vitiligo greatly affected my self-esteem. Until then, I was a college guy who loved social life. Then I changed. I was afraid to go among people, afraid of being looked at and judged. I closed off and stopped almost everything. I didn’t want people staring at me—I stopped going out, playing football, going to parties…,” he admits.
“For the first months or even years, I thought I would be sad forever because of this. It bothered me a lot, even though it doesn't hurt physically, mentally it's tough. People staring or making fun didn’t help my mood,” Marek speaks openly.
Marek's skin changes were clarified by a dermatologist, who explained it was a loss of pigment, technically known as vitiligo. He confided that he was mostly troubled by his hair and visible patches on his face. “She prescribed me some ointment for the spots, told me not to stress, and suggested phototherapy combined with seawater, which has beneficial effects on the skin. Luckily, they had this procedure in Topoľčany, where I'm from,” he recalls the initial treatment options.
The aim was to repigment areas (restore pigment to affected areas). However, according to Marek, the treatment was lengthy and results were barely noticeable at first. He saw visible improvement only after numerous procedures. “It took forever. I only saw minimal results after a few months. I had to go regularly 2 or 3 times a week for it to make sense,” he says.
Extremely Expensive Treatment
The treatment of the disease is long-term and extremely expensive, as Marek points out, not fully covered by insurance. “The insurance covered only a certain number of procedures, which were insufficient for results. At least for me,” he explains. According to him, fully effective treatment is unavailable to many patients, which is why many don't undergo treatment in the long term.
Marek explains that a single procedure cost several dozen euros, with the insurance covering 25 procedures annually after a doctor’s referral. “It's good the insurance covers something, but a staff member immediately told me it generally takes more than the 25 procedures. Patients still have to pay a few hundred a year, depending on the need. Of course, it varies,” he says.
Alongside professional treatment, overall health care—balanced diet, enough exercise, and quality rest—are essential. Pay special attention to UV protection, which is crucial for pigment-less areas.
Treatment includes not only procedures but also medications and topical treatments. As Marek says, the recommended corticosteroid ointment didn't help much on the affected parts. He noticed a positive difference after going through phototherapy (exposing skin to specific types of UV light to stimulate pigment production), though only on his face. “Phototherapy helped on the face, repigmenting some areas, but other body parts didn’t improve. Patches on my hands and underarms kept spreading,” he explains.
The unsuccessful treatment led to Marek's despair, and he stopped going to therapies after some time. “I was pretty upset that it didn’t help much and lost the mood to deal with it,” he admits.
When I looked in the mirror years later, the patches were still there, but I saw a stronger, more confident, and most importantly, happier version of myself.
Later, Marek became more interested in his condition and found a Slovak online store offering products claimed to alleviate vitiligo symptoms. “I ordered a small photolamp, vitamins, and gel from there. This combination mainly helped my face, and I noticed that patches increased minimally,” he praises.
The Cause of Vitiligo Isn't Clear
The cause of vitiligo isn’t entirely clear. Doctors believe it’s a combination of genetic predisposition and external factors. For people prone to the condition, excessive sun exposure, solarium visits, and prolonged stress can trigger or worsen it.
Due to an imbalance in the immune system, an autoimmune reaction occurs, manifesting as pigment loss and the formation of white patches on the skin. Those with other autoimmune diseases, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, or pernicious anemia, are at higher risk for such a condition.
“Worsening vitiligo may relate to untreated autoimmune diseases, like thyroid conditions or type 1 diabetes. Triggers also include prolonged stress, repeated pressure, or mechanical skin friction, as well as sunburn from UV exposure,” the doctor explains.
According to Diana Pavličková, reducing symptoms is mainly influenced by the patient's overall lifestyle. Less stress, sufficient exercise and sleep, diligent skin protection from sunburn (SPF), and treating related autoimmune diseases if untreated. She advises a diet rich in vitamin D, zinc, copper, vitamin B12, and antioxidants—fruits and vegetables.
“For more extensive vitiligo, doctors commonly recommend narrow-band UVB phototherapy—treatment with special light that encourages pigment restoration to the skin. Systemic treatment is rare, like short-term corticosteroids or JAK inhibitors affecting immune response. Surgical options include melanocyte transplantation or punch grafting, transferring tiny pieces of healthy pigmented skin to affected areas,” dermatologist explains.
Marek noticed his condition is significantly affected by stress levels. When he came to terms with the condition, it stabilized, and the disease didn’t worsen. “I think stress affects it a lot, and it’s hard to avoid it, especially when the disease itself is stressful. During those 9 years, there were periods where vitiligo didn’t progress for 2-3 years. It was probably when I accepted it and became less sad. I started doing more things that made me happy and distracted me from it. Surely, the treatment combination, a healthier diet, and supportive people also helped,” he further explains.
Can Patients Completely Recover?
Although medicine currently doesn’t offer a complete and permanent cure for vitiligo, some patients might experience significant improvement and pigment return. “Younger patients, early-stage disease, and facial or chest involvement usually have a better prognosis for pigment restoration. Conversely, white-haired spots (leukotrichia), long-stable depigmented spots, and hand, finger, or foot areas, especially insteps, have a worse prognosis,” says the doctor.
In vitiligo treatment, doctors often recommend creams. According to the specialist, calcineurin inhibitors like tacrolimus or pimecrolimus work best on small spots, like the face, neck, trunk, hands, or fingers. They can be used long-term and are often combined with UVB phototherapy to improve repigmentation.
Another option is corticosteroid creams, such as mometasone or betamethasone, which have anti-inflammatory effects helpful in active vitiligo. However, these are not recommended long-term, especially on the face, as they can damage the skin, according to dermatologist.
Over-the-counter supportive cosmetic products, like Vitix gel, she finds most effective in combination with phototherapy or medications. They help restore pigment on the lesion edges and act as antioxidants to protect the skin.
Vitiligo significantly impacted Marek's confidence. From an energetic, active guy, he gradually became a reclusive person avoiding social interaction and things that used to bring him joy. Although initially, he thought he’d be gloomy and reserved forever due to the condition, he eventually came to terms with his new reality, even managing curious looks and unpleasant teasing.
A year ago, I gathered courage and confessed to the world about this disease. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders because it troubled me even when I seemed okay with it.
“One day, I said enough, that I couldn't live like this anymore and started working on accepting it and learning to live with it. Now, I see myself differently. Initially, I thought I was weak and couldn't handle it, but I found some inner strength. I see myself as stronger and when another tough moment comes, I remember how tough this was and yet I managed,” he says.
He Started Talking About His Problem
“After deciding I couldn't live like this, I wanted to rediscover joy. I started going to the gym and traveling more, things that made me happy. Weighing under 70 kilos didn’t help my confidence either. I was a skinny guy with patches. Building muscle increased my confidence, and the patches bothered me less. Years later, when I looked in the mirror, the patches were still there, but I saw a stronger, more confident, and most importantly, happier me,” he shares about what helped him through this tough time.
Currently, Marek’s vitiligo hasn’t worsened substantially and has spread only slightly. He's not undergoing any treatment now, only taking vitamins. He's trying to accept the condition as part of himself and not focus on it too much. He travels a lot and exercises regularly, which significantly helps him mentally.
Today, Marek isn’t ashamed of his condition and doesn't hide it. He decided to raise awareness about it on social media, hoping to help many other patients. “This disease was ruining me internally for years, even though I didn’t seem like it on the outside. A year ago, I got the courage to confess to the world about this condition. It was such a relief because it troubled me a lot, even though I had come to terms with it. Maybe if someone had told me before to share it sooner, I would’ve dealt with it better over the years when I was bottling it up. I wish someone had pushed me to do it sooner. But maybe everything happened the way it was supposed to, and I had to figure it out myself,” he concludes.
